Kids in hospital get special Super Bowl party

MINNEAPOLIS – University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital stands within view of U.S. Bank Stadium.

Sunday, the Super Bowl got even closer.

“It just makes you feel a little better about being in the hospital when you feel like you’re part of the community,” said Kim Curry, whose 16-year-old son Jake has spent the past six weeks in Masonic Children’s.

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Jake, who has muscular dystrophy, was among the young patients treated to a Super Bowl party on Sunday.

“Jake was really excited, he called me, ‘There’s this thing on Sunday and you have to come,’” his mom said.

Kids dined on pizza and hotdogs, while their parents shared time with hospital friends.

“It’s pretty crazy how many families you get to know,” said Sue Laumer, whose daughter Shay is in the hospital with a heart condition.

“It becomes a small community of people dealing with the same kind of thing,” Sue Laumer said.

Dr. Joseph Neglia, physician in chief at Masonic Children’s, said such gatherings are important. “They help mark the milestones toward getting better and getting out of here, which is the best place to be.”

This week Andrea and Danny Passow of Fort Dodge, Iowa will take their baby Jackson home from Masonic Children’s, after chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.

With the game playing on a big screen nearby, Andrea Passow said, “These kids are the actual heroes.”